With Ross Lyon’s appointment to St Kilda expected to be made official in the coming days, Max King has already picked up the phone to find out more about the ex-Fremantle coach.
Lyon will begin his third stint as an AFL senior coach when he joins the Saints, following time previously at St Kilda from 2007-2011 and the Dockers from 2012-2019.
Fremantle young star Andrew Brayshaw revealed that former Haileybury teammate and close friend King called to “get a feel of what Ross is like”, per the The West Australian.
Brayshaw spent the first two years of his career under Lyon before developing into a genuine star of the competition with Justin Longmuir as his mentor and acknowledged his former coach’s hard edge as an important trait.
“I’m very happy for him. I had a feeling he’d be back at some point,” Brayshaw stated.
“My first couple of years at the club were under Ross and I absolutely loved it.
“There were some of the all-time sprays when I was young.
“But playing my first game under him, some of the chats I had with him when I was finding my way in the AFL… he put me on the right path. I think I owe a lot of my football success to him.”
He said further: “When I first came to the club, I didn’t really know what being a professional footballer meant.
“He pushes his players every day to be the best versions of themselves. Whether that’s training, on the track, in the gym or being focused in meetings, he’s big on the off-field stuff as well.
“He’s the sort of coach who will get the best out of you no matter what.”
It follows a similar acknowledgement by former Docker Garrick Ibbotson.
Lyon previously played key roles in developing Justin Koschitzke and Nick Riewoldt, and now seems set to get the chance to do the same with one of the best young stars in the game in King.
In terms of advice for King, Brayshaw added: “Put your head down and work really hard. He values hard work.”
King enjoyed his best season yet in his fourth-year at the top level in 2022, booting 52 goals and having the second most shots on goal of any player to not play finals.